E.G.C

Application Part 6 - Rejected CBYX Scholarship

 

It burns. It burns like a bitch. And it hurts. Like, really bad. At first, you’re just, like - silent. And then three minutes later it kicks in, and you start bawling. And then…it just stops.

…I’m not even an alternate. 

I’m very curious to why April 2-4th is supposed to be a very happy, joyous time for me, being that CBYX told us of our status three days before it (April 2nd was supposed to be when they told). 

So, I guess I’m going through AFS, now. $13,500…-whistles- Fun.

Application Process Part 5 - CBYX/AFS Interviews

3/4/12: I woke up at 6:15 AM to take a two hour drive up to Richmond, our state’s capital, where my interview(s) were being held. I arrived five minutes late because we’d taken a detour to give something to my Grandma at her house. 

The group activities were kind of awkward - I walked into a medium-sized room where all the applicants and four alumni-leaders were sitting in a large circle. I had to write my name on a sticky-tag before I sat down - I didn’t know wether to put both my last and first name, so I only put my first. I couldn’t find anywhere to sit because everything was so packed, but eventually I walked across the circle to sit in a small space between three alumni-leaders. 

The first thing we did was go around and state our name, age, where we were from, and something we found interesting about ourselves. And as unfortune would have it, I didn’t realize the alumni-leaders were also going to state their stuff, so I just skipped over them - it was so embarrassing! After I said all that they’d told us too, one of the leaders was like ‘okay…let’s go back! haha’. 

The other games were kind of fun, though. We played a game where we had to describe our family without using any words with ‘D’ in it. It’s hard! I actually turned to the Spanish ‘and’ (which is ‘e’), because we obviously couldn’t use ‘and’ nor ‘und’. But I was, like, the only one - everyone else used ‘also’. The game was to show how you’ll have to rephrase a lot while in Germany because you probably don’t have the vocabulary to say what you really mean.

We also played ‘I Love My Neighbor’, which was nice - it was kind of awkward being on spot though!

Something else  was ‘What five things would you put in a time machine that would be opened in 100 years?’. We’d been broken up into smaller groups for this one - five people, I think. Our group had two gingers! xD Anyways, we put 1) The Front Cover of Facebook (there was a joke with that one, involving a face taped onto a book) 2) Converse Shoes 3) Genetic Codes for Red-heads 4) Classic Disney Movies, and 5) Oil Reserves. Unlike the other groups, who chose one person to read off all their points, we had each member in our group read one thing. 

Another thing we did was make acronyms out of our names - I tried my hardest not to use really cliche words that a lot of the other people were doing. I only have four letters in my name, but it took me three times as long as it did the girl with seven. I only remember two things of what I put - Tenacious for T, and Rounded for R. But I noticed at one point I was just sitting there while some of the people in my group were talking, and I quickly hopped to my feet and went over to them, joining the conversation. I did not want the alumni to notice me being alone when it was obviously group time. 

I wished everyone good luck when they were called out for their individual interviews. (I hope that didn’t go unnoticed!)

Okay, down to my specific interview: 

It was at 11:00, right when group activities ended. I was called out by one of my interviewers and walked down the hall to another, this time larger, classroom. My interview was going on at the same time as another was, on the other side of the room. I walked over and held out my hand, shaking the hand of my other interviewer before sitting down and folding my hands together on the table, making sure to keep my elbows off. The interviewer that brought me into the room sat down next to the girl and explained to me that if I was done with my point, I did not have to fill in the silence while they wrote. 

And then the interview started. 

I will tell you a general statement of the CBYX interview: it is about situations, not yourself. They read me three e-mails from students and asked me to give advice to the student them. They asked how I would feel if I was not invited to a party that my host-sister’s friends were holding. Stuff like that. But they did ask me why I thought I deserved the scholarship (‘course!). 

My theme for the interview was communication. I talked all about communication, and how important it was. Patience, communication, and personal effort. I think I did well, based on how the girl’s eyes would widen and she would nod, like she understood what I was saying. 

I smiled a lot in the interview, and made plenty of eye contact. When they were speaking to me, I looked directly at them. They took turns on answering questions, and both very friendly. They were alumni, so I guess they understood how I was feeling. My voice shook a lot, but my points were strong - it was only near the end of my points where it was obvious.

When the interview ended, I shook both of their hands before departing. I think I had the final interview. 

After that it was lunch time. Me and my mom went to eat lunch at a place which was like, legit five minutes away (if you’re especially curious, the place is called ‘Great Wraps!’). 

We stayed in that eatery for two hours, pretty much lol. My AFS Interview was at 11:45, ten minutes after we arrived. AFS is supposed to have in-home interviews, but no one lives close enough to me to have one - that’s why we did it there. The interview was pretty long, and 1/3 of the way through some all-girls basketball team came in. They gave me odd looks -.-. 

The interview was pretty simplistic. My mom got up to get me something to drink (I absolutely refused to eat while speaking to the AFS Interviewer!). Most of the questions were about my personality, and stuff like that. I had to describe our house because obviously - we weren’t in it -laughs-. My mom was asked a few questions after I was, like - three words she would use to describe me, all that bull. My mom and the interviewer really connected - there was a good twenty minutes of them talking about Turkey (the interviewer had gone to Turkey last year and my mom’s side of the family is from there, so they had a lot to talk about >.>). 

I just ripped up the straw paper and made it into tiny balls :D 

After that interview was finished, I grabbed something to eat. I needed my Dad (biological) to sign all the AFS forms (because AFS is bullshit and wouldn’t let my Step-Dad do it), and luckily enough, he lives up there. So my Dad came into the eatery twenty minutes later with my four yearold step-sister, Victoria. I kept her occupied while my parents talked…and anyone who knows me knows I hate kids/babies…I was in a nice mood e.e 

SOOOO, I went to the CBYX Q&A at 2:00, and we got out around 3:40. Fun times. 

It was a long, long, long, long, long day. 

I’m very nervous about being accepted. This is what’s going to make it or break it. Me against 107 people trying to make it into a 50-person-only slot. 

I feel like a sperm cell ._. 

Application Process Part 4 - CBYX Semi-Finalist

2/2/12: I just bawled my eyes out. 

“Dear Tara,

As you know, the Congress-Bundestag Scholarship provides 50 scholarships for students from the Southeast United States. The depth of this year’s applicant pool has made the review extremely competitive.

We were impressed with your application. After careful review, we would like to offer you an interview as we are interested in learning more about you, and your desire to live and study in Germany.”

I’m a semi-finalist. 

A Very Important Note for Exchangees

1/14/12: This is an extremely important blog for exchange students. I don’t think you’ll see it on any other exchange student blog, mostly because of one natural blog rule: stay positive. But this post is not positive - it’s realistic. Therefor, I’m writing about it. Because exchange is hard - it’s not all ‘oh, so I’ll finish my application, get accepted, then go!’. There are family issues - and I’m not talking about host. 

My father got drunk tonight, and when he’s drunk, it’s like everything goes out the window. Our neighbor was over - he’s kind of like an uncle to me - and we were just talking in the garage. I happened to be talking about my exchange earlier that evening to him, not that I expected to really soak it in - he can’t even remember when he’s sober. So, I told him how my back-up plan was $13,000 tuition, and at the time, he was perfectly fine with it. 

But as I said, he got drunk. So, while I was talking with him and our neighbor, he started going off into this rant about the tuition, stating things like “You’re smoking pot if you think we’re actually paying for that” and “I’m going to divorce Suzan (my mother) if she thinks we’re going to pay that” and “I make more than your mom (which he doesn’t) and we’ll f*cking divorce and you won’t be able to go because she definitely won’t be able to pay for it by herself” and “Keep dreaming, Tara, keep dreaming - it’s not going to happen”. Mind, all this was said in front of our neighbor (who eventually left - it was late). 

It really sucks hearing that - but I know he was just drunk, and that the chances of him forgetting all about it in the morning are very high. He’s one of those people who thinks he knows everything - I have to explain to him over and over what the programs I’m applying are for, and he’s sort of like a compulsive liar, just making up things in his head and thinking they’re correct. 

The only way you can get past a situation like this is grit your teeth and remind yourself, “I’m going. He’s drunk, and he’s being stupid, and he doesn’t know anything of what he’s saying. I am going - I don’t give a damn what he says.”

That’s how you realistically deal with it. Because if you doubt yourself for more than a second, you just feel extremely sad and you start thinking “I’m going to retract my application just in spite.” 

Don’t ever lose hope. Don’t ever lose confidence. You started this for a reason. And you shouldn’t let a drunk parent or rude friend destroy all that you’ve worked so hard on for the past five months. 

Peace. 

AFS App Sent + Merry Christmas + Happy New Year!

12/25/11: Oh Ginny! Let your great, wholesome, natural magic grant me a scholarship! -bows- -bows- -bows- 

Anyways, I’ve just sent my AFS application. Yaaaay. M’rry Christmas, everyone :) - aaaand a haaaapppy neeeew yeeear. 

Also - my mom somehow got her hands on a bottle of Glühwein, and she let me try some. 

It’s gross. 

:D

 ↺ picture found here by artist Sabocchia, colored by me :)

Application Process Part 3

12/22/11: My rep, Max, worked something out with my school and the program and re-sent my application for me :). So, my CBYX app is officially sent, and I’ll hear if I got accepted sometime in February.

12/20/11: It kinda sucks logging into your e-mail one afternoon and     seeing this: Action Required: Please Review and  Re-Submit Your CBYX Application. I received this gorgeous   e-mail on Thursday, December 1st, 2011 - only a  few days  after I sent the application in for reviewing. They  were  asking for an updated progress report with my high  school  grades along with a GPA (being a Freshman, I used  my  middle school transcript). 

Long story short my school sucks *ss, won’t give m an updated report, and my CBYX rep has to work some schtuff out with them.

By the way, do you know how awkward it is getting calls from your programs - you know, like, calls from actual people? Ugh, so awkward! >//<

↺ picture found here by artist Ëlodie

CBYX - SENT

11/25/11: This was really how it went down:

I reviewed my host family letter, saved, and went to the dashboard page. I swiftly clicked the ‘submit’ button, acting so quick that I had no time to actually think about it. I didn’t read the confirmation, just clicked the link that I knew was going to send it.

And now it’s over with.

WORD OF ADVICE: You can still look at your app after you’ve sent it, just can’t edit any of it. Don’t look at it. Ever.

Application Process Part 2

09/21/11: I’ve made many advances in my applications for both AFS (‘parents finally came home [with many beautiful gifts, I might add]) and CBYX. 
As of now, for CBYX I have: 

1) Cover  11/05/11
2) Host Family Letter 09/25/11 
3) Academic Certification09/21/11

For AFS, I’m not so lucky. 
1) Cover 11/05/11 
2) Health Certificates 12/10/11
3) Self Intro (which is HELLA stupid!) 11/19/11
4) Photos 12/25/11
5) Academic Record 09/21/11
6) Letters of Recommendation 12/22/11


My mom will be calling the school district about not giving me credits, but I’m not so angry…mostly because I’m tired all the time D:

Application Process Part 1

09/09/11:  I’m trying to fill out the CBYX application – I would much rather fill out the AFS one, but I can’t because my parents have to pay for the fee and they won’t be back until next week – and it’s giving me such a hard time. It won’t let me add my family members – if I try to click on my name or ‘add a family member’, pretty much nothing happens. A small little thing that say ‘processing’ comes up for less then a split second, then vanishes. 

 I’ve tried it from three different computers, but they’re all doing the sam mes…-sigh- it’s giving me a headache. I asked if anyone on the ASK an AFSer if they were having the same problem, but none of them actually knew that the applications were up and ready to submit. Turns out I made a few peoples’ day (brownie points!)….okay, turns out that their having the same problem. Good, because it was giving me a headache!

Besides that, I am hoping to get an appointment with my guidance counselor later next week. I can’t wait to talk about credits and what not :D